It all started on a sunny Saturday when Dillon and his best friend Max were in the backyard with a cheap bottle of bubble mix and a big imagination.
“Bet I can blow a bubble bigger than your head,” Max said, dipping his wand dramatically.
“That’s impossible,” Dillon laughed. “Your head’s enormous!”
But when Max blew, the bubble didn’t pop — it grew. And grew. And kept growing. It shimmered in every color imaginable — gold, blue, green, even a little rainbow twist that made them both go, “Whoa.”
Then, the bubble blinked.
“Did it just wink at us?” Dillon whispered.
The bubble bobbed once — as if nodding — and began to float around them, humming softly.
From that day on, the magical bubble followed them everywhere. It hovered over their heads during soccer practice (where it once distracted the goalie and helped Max accidentally score). It squeezed into the school bus (causing mild chaos and major laughter), and it even showed up at dinner, hovering politely above Dillon’s plate while his mom pretended not to notice.
“It’s like it knows when we’re having fun,” said Max one evening, as the bubble glowed brighter while they laughed over who could make the silliest face.
“It’s keeping our laughter safe,” Dillon said. “Like a little vault of happiness.”
Sometimes, the bubble would drift between them when they fought — gently shining until they gave up and started laughing again. Other times, it would roll between them during quiet moments, like it was reminding them that magic didn’t always need noise.
Years passed, but the bubble never popped. Not even when they grew older and went to different schools. Whenever they met again, the bubble would appear — a little worn around the edges, but still glowing with the same soft light.
One evening, they sat under the old oak tree where it all began. The bubble floated before them, gleaming. Inside its round surface shimmered tiny reflections — two boys laughing, running, falling into puddles, and sharing secrets.
“Look,” Dillon whispered. “It’s every memory we ever made.”
The bubble pulsed warmly, as if smiling.
And in that quiet golden light, their laughter echoed once more — safe, forever, inside the bubble that never popped.